Saints DE Marcus Davenport 'played through' pain

The young pass rusher revealed Tuesday that he never got back to full strength in 2018 after suffering a toe injury, and had an apparent procedure.

"Most people don't know but I had been dealing with what was considered a season ending injury," Davenport wrote on Twitter. "Lucky I was able to play through the pain and although not a 100 (percent) I finish(ed) the season. I promise to come back better. Thank you to all that supported."

The Saints' first-round pick suffered a toe injury in October that forced him to miss three games. He was not on New Orleans' injury report in the final weeks of the regular season or in the postseason, which is why Tuesday's surgery took many by surprise.

Davenport's production tailed off after suffering the toe injury during a two-sack performance in Week 8 versus Minnesota. The rookie tallied just .5 sacks the final eight games he participated in, including the playoffs. On the season, however, Davenport showed growth while recording 28 pressures and missing just a single tackle attempt on the year, per Pro Football Focus.

The Saints sorely need Davenport to develop into an edge monster opposite Cameron Jordan, which is why they traded a 2019 first-round pick to obtain the talented, but raw athletic pass rusher last season.

The first step in making a Year 2 leap for Davenport, apparently starts with surgery.